Efficacy comparison of gemcitabine-based and anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens in unspecified peripheral T-cell lymphoma

Abstract

Objective To compare the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine-based and anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCL-U). Methods The data of 37 eligible patients with PTCL-U were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were classified into two groups: trial group including 17 patients treated with gemcitabine-based regimen, and control group including 20 patients treated with anthracycline-based regimen. The response rate (RR), time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS) and toxicity were assessed. Results RR and complete response rate (CR) were significantly higher in the trial group than those in the control group [88.2 % (15/17) vs 55.0 % (11/20), 76.5% (13/17) vs 40.0 % (8/20), P 0.05). The median TTP was significantly longer in the trial group than that in the control group (10.1 months vs 5.3 months, P < 0.05). The median OS in the trial group was longer than that in the control group (19.3 months vs 12.4 months, P < 0.05). Major toxicity reactions included myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reaction, alopecia and cardiotoxicity. The incidence of thrombocytopenia (grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ) in the trial group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidences of alopecia and cardiotoxicity in the trial group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). No chemotherapy-related death occurred. Conclusion Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy regimens may be more effective for PTCL-U than anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens, and it can be well tolerated, which requires further clinical study. Key words: Lymphoma, T-cell, peripheral; Gemcitabine; Treatment outcome; Untoward reaction